Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-10-22
ROUGH AND READY LEADERS.


The Reform element in MARYLAND
politics has enlisted the services of
the ablest leaders and lawyers Of
both parties, who are acting in con.
cert with the Reform League to pre-.
vent election frauds. Thousands of
illegal voters have been carried on
the registration books for years.
10000 Illegally registered voters in
the city of Baltimore! The Courts
and Juries, too, are in earnest. The
following are the kind OF men who
run Maryland politics:-Carry the
news to the Courier journal =
Eugene Higgins, Appointment
Clerk in the Treasury Department,
concerned in destruction of 10000
ballots in the contested election of
1875. According to the generally
accepted story to day Higgins, with
Naval Officer Rasin, admitted them,
selves to the clerks office where the
ballots we're, on a Saturday; that
during Saturday night, Sunday and
Sunday night they destroyed 10000
legitimate ballots and placed in
their stead lllegitimate ballots fresh
from the printer, so fresa in fact that
they adhered together by the print.
er's ink. The manipulators did not
pause long enough to fold them, but
dropped them into the box as they
came from the press.
Naval Officer Rasin, then poor
man, entered the Common Pleas
Court in 1867 as clerk, at salary
of $4,000. To-day he is worth any.
where from 100000 to 100000.
He made his money by lobbying.
He was in with all the strikers of the
Legislature, with particular aim at
corporations. No good law could be
passed with Rasin's assistance and
no bad law could be killed without
seeing him. He was and is a partl
cular pet and protege Of Senator
German. He controls more Federal
and municipal patronage than any
man in the State except German.
He is more influential in legislative
matters than Eugene Higgins. He
controls all the gamblers, blackmail.
ers and political strikers in Balti-
more, and is responsible for so per
cent. Of the political jobs.
Morris Thomas, Indian Agent and
ballot-box suffer, is regarded as the
most dexterous and expert ballot box
manipulation in Maryland. He de
fes the law and public sentiment.
He is political chum of Frank Nor
rison and, next to Rasin, is reSpon,
sible for more Of the crookedneSS in
Maryland politics than any man
living.
Now comes the procession of muir
dererS who hold Office under the
protection of the ring:
George Trust, murderer No /,
clerk in the Internal Revenue De-
partment under Joseph b. Roberts,
Trust, while q warden in the City
Jail, took a pistol out of the arsenal,
walked down to Light street where
he met a colored man walking with
his wife. care you a Democrat or
Republican 2" asked Trust. Before
the darby could answer Trust blew
his brains out.
Jim Busby Is a character, II motor
ious character. He is the Democrat
ic City Executive in the Seventh
ward. This is an honorable position.
But Mr.. Busby is bully and u
tough. He has been indicted nine
times and jailed thirty eight times
twice for assault with intent to kill,
nine times for assault at the polls,
four times for assaulting police Off
GERS, and always on grounds sutli'
cient to send any patriot without a
political pull to State prison. Busey
has invariable escaped, however,
thanks to the influence and threats
of the Ring. To-day he is Superln.
tendent of Streets OF Baltimore on a
fat salary, at the head of seventy
men. Busby IS about the best repre-
sentative of the Ring extant.
Fritz Buckheimer, Clerk of the
Markets, is murderer, appointed
to Office by Mayor Hodges.
George Koenig, a murderer, is
keeper of the Causeway Bridge.
John Burke, Judge Of Election in
the Seventeenth ward, was convict.
ed, with James Kennedy, of the
murder of young Curran, brutal,
unprovoked and premeditated crime,
for which the principals were only
locked up in the penitentiary.
Tom Goodrich is another murder
er holding Office under the city gov.
eminent.
Butch Murphy, attempted murder
er, is an officer of the First Branch
of the City Council.
III. G.. FeldermaD, Sheriff, is an
election briber.
William i. Harig, attempted mar
derer and jailbird, is laborer in the
Custom House.
Martin Clark, Hezekiah Best and
John w. Mcmahon are con yictS
awaiting sentence for betrayIng
their trusts as Judges of election.
James Mabon, brother of "Sonny"
Mahon, was Register Of Voters. lie
was tried for malfeasance. The case
was clearly established, but by some
peculiar influence 1t hung. Mahou
was Immediately after appointed
ianitor in the custom house, aud
Joe. Il. Heine, who was one of the
jury in Mahon's case, was made
Deputy Sheriff shortly after.
Bud Kittingham, executive of his
ward, Judge of Election and a dele
gate to the late Democratic conyen-
ton, is a professional ballot box
suffer and the keeper of low dive
W hero vofers arc colOnizpd bV the